Volume: 1
Price: 0.95 USD
Pages: 100
On-sale Date: 1979-08-07
Editing: Joe Orlando (managing editor); Paul Levitz (editor)
Cover Thumbnail for The Best of DC (DC, 1979 series) #2 Edit Cover
Cover Gallery 

40th Anniversary Special!
(Table of Contents)

Batman / cover / 1 page

Pencils:
Wallace Fax (painting)
Inks:
Wallace Fax (painting)
Colors:
Wallace Fax (painting)
Letters:
  • Genre:superhero
Characters:
Batman
Reprints (1)

Issue Data

Indexer Notes

On-sale date from Comic Reader #171.

Best of DC No. 2 -- Batman
(Table of Contents: 1)

table of contents / 1 page

Script:
?
Letters:
typeset

Indexer Notes

Inside front cover.

The Forties
(Table of Contents: 2)

Batman / cover reprint (on interior page) / 1 page

Pencils:
Inks:
Colors:
?
Letters:
typeset
  • Genre:superhero
Characters:
Batman; Robin
Reprints (1)

The People vs. the Batman
(Table of Contents: 3)

Batman and Robin / comic story / 13 pages

Script:
Pencils:
Inks:
George Roussos (backgrounds)
Colors:
?
Letters:
  • Genre:superhero
Characters:
Batman [Bruce Wayne]; Robin [Dick Grayson]; Commissioner Gordon
Reprints (1)

Alfred, Armchair Detective!
(Table of Contents: 4)

The Adventures of Alfred / comic story / 4 pages

Script:
Pencils:
Inks:
Colors:
?
Letters:
  • Genre:detective-mystery
Characters:
Alfred; Bruce Wayne (cameo); Dick Grayson (cameo)
Reprints (1)

The 1,000 Secrets of the Batcave!
(Table of Contents: 5)

Batman with Robin the Boy Wonder / comic story / 12 pages

Script:
Pencils:
Inks:
Colors:
?
Letters:
?
  • Genre:superhero
Characters:
Batman [Bruce Wayne]; Robin [Dick Grayson]; Wolf Brando (villain, introduction, death); Commissioner James Gordon; Reilly (police officer); Two-Face [Harvey Dent] (image); The Joker (image)
Synopsis:
An escaped convict on the run accidentally discovers the entrance to the Batcave and learns the secret identities of Batman and Robin, and attacks the dynamic duo using their own weapons and trophies against them.
Reprints (1)

Indexer Notes

Story includes a diagram of the Batcave.

The Fifties
(Table of Contents: 6)

Batman / cover reprint (on interior page) / 1 page

Script:
?
Pencils:
Inks:
Colors:
?
Letters:
?
  • Genre:superhero
Characters:
Batman; Robin; Two-Face
Reprints (1)

Indexer Notes

Top of cover reprint is cut off to accommodate text heading at top of page.

The First Batman
(Table of Contents: 7)

Batman with Robin the Boy Wonder / comic story / 10 pages

Script:
Pencils:
Inks:
Colors:
?
Letters:
  • Genre:superhero
Characters:
Batman [Bruce Wayne]; Robin [Dick Grayson]; Dr. Thomas Wayne; Martha Wayne; Joey Chill; Lew Moxon
Synopsis:
Bruce finds out his father was the "first" Batman and later finds the man who paid Joey Chill to shoot his father.
Reprints (1)

Indexer Notes

Retelling of the origin of Batman.

Murder at Mystery Castle
(Table of Contents: 8)

Batman with Robin the Boy Wonder / comic story / 12 pages

Script:
Pencils:
Inks:
Colors:
?
Letters:
  • Genre:superhero
Characters:
Batman [Bruce Wayne]; Robin [Dick Grayson]
Reprints (1)

The Sixties
(Table of Contents: 9)

Batman / cover reprint (on interior page) / 1 page

Script:
?
Pencils:
Inks:
Colors:
?
Letters:
?
  • Genre:superhero
Characters:
Batman; Robin; The Joker; The Penguin
Reprints (1)

Indexer Notes

30th anniversary cover.

The Cry of Night Is-- "Kill!"
(Table of Contents: 10)

Batman / comic story / 17 pages

Script:
Pencils:
Inks:
Colors:
?
Letters:
?
  • Genre:superhero
Characters:
Batman [Bruce Wayne]; Robin [Dick Grayson]; Commissioner Gordon; Alfred (cameo)
Reprints (1)

Indexer Notes

Original title was "The Cry of the Night Is-- 'Sudden Death!'" Re-write of "Case of the Chemical Syndicate" from Detective Comics #27.

The story is relettered with larger text to accommodate the digest pages. Pages #8 and #11 are expanded to full pages. A box announcing a reprint of The Case of the Chemical Syndicate in Detective #387 is removed. A new box describing the difference between the two versions is added. This is the version reprinted in Detective #627, enlarged to standard page size.

The Seventies
(Table of Contents: 11)

Batman / cover reprint (on interior page) / 1 page

Script:
?
Pencils:
Inks:
Colors:
?
Letters:
?
  • Genre:superhero
Characters:
Batman
Reprints (1)

The Joker's Five-Way Revenge!
(Table of Contents: 12)

Batman / comic story / 22.5 pages

Script:
Pencils:
Inks:
Colors:
?
Letters:
?
  • Genre:superhero
Characters:
Batman; The Joker
Reprints (1)

[no title indexed]
(Expand) / (Table of Contents: 13)

promo (ad from the publisher) / 1 page

The Batman -- Forty Years Young
(Table of Contents: 14)

text article / 1 page

Script:
Letters:
typeset
Synopsis:
Brief overview of Batman's first 40 years in the comics.

Indexer Notes

Inside back cover.

[no title indexed]
(Expand) / (Table of Contents: 15)

Batman / promo (ad from the publisher) / 1 page

my.comics.org
Tracked in 7 collections.
Issue at www.comics.org
View Change History
Table of Contents ToC
    Table of Contents
  1. 40th Anniversary Special!
    Batman
  2. Best of DC No. 2 -- Batman
  3. The Forties
    Batman
  4. The People vs. the Batman
    Batman and Robin
  5. Alfred, Armchair Detective!
    The Adventures of Alfred
  6. The 1,000 Secrets of the Batcave!
    Batman with Robin the Boy Wonder
  7. The Fifties
    Batman
  8. The First Batman
    Batman with Robin the Boy Wonder
  9. Murder at Mystery Castle
    Batman with Robin the Boy Wonder
  10. The Sixties
    Batman
  11. The Cry of Night Is-- "Kill!"
    Batman
  12. The Seventies
    Batman
  13. The Joker's Five-Way Revenge!
    Batman
  14. ["If you enjoyed this classic collection..."]
  15. The Batman -- Forty Years Young
  16. ["Together in one volume -- the best stories..."]
    Batman
Related Links
Issue was modified by, among others
  • Michael Bradley
  • Nick Caputo
  • Peter Croome
  • Merlin Haas
  • Katy Hayhurst
  • Lee Lines
  • Donald Dale Milne
  • John Monagle
  • Tony R. Rose
  • Jim Stangas
  • Jim Van Dore
  • John Wells
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